Side coiling door

ABSTRACT

The cable for pulling a side coiling door through closing movement along its upper track is held in offset relation to the vertical plane of the door so that any sag in the cable comes to rest along a horizontally oriented track surface rather than hanging down below said track and causing snagging, adversely detracting from the appearance of the door, or resulting in other shortcomings.

United States Patent 1 1111 3,833,045 Sivin 1 Sept. 3, 1974 [54] SIDECOILING DOOR 3,729,044 4/1973 Gerkin 160/193 [75] Inventor: Bernard J.Sivin, Commack, NY. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 3 Assigneez TheCelotex Corp" Tampa, 849,818 9/1960 Great Britain 160/346 [22] Filed:1972 Primary Examiner-Peter M. Caun [21] Appl. 7 3 Attorney, Agent, orFirm-James W. Grace 52 US. Cl 160/133, 160/26, 160/193 [57] S Q [51 1m.(:1 E0611 9/08 Cable for Pullmg 3 Me collmg door through @108- [58] n wof Search 160/23, 25, 26 133, 126 ing movement along its upper track isheld in offset 160/345, 346, 347, 193, 196, 196 1) relation to thevertical plane of the door so that any sag in the cable comes to restalong a horizontally ori- [56] References Cited ented track surfacerather than hanging down below UNITED STATES PATENTS said track andcausing snagging, adversely detracting from the appearance of the door,or resulting in other 1,621,717 3/1927 Grant et a1 160/26 Shortcomings.3,098,520 7/1963 Greenstadt et al. 160/346 3,504,728 4/1970 Wardlaw160/26 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures SIDE COILING DOOR The presentinvention relates to side coiling doors, and more particularly tocable-control improvements that enhance the appearance and functioningof side coiling doors.

The motor operator of a typical side coiling door, even if arranged tocontinually exert tension on the cable which pulls the door closed, isstill often ineffective in preventing sagging in this cable, i.e., inpreventing said cable from assuming a catenary curve due to its weightand unsupported spanning relation across the top of the door opening.This cable sag invariably is of an extent which results in a cable loopprojecting down through the upper track opening into the door opening,thereby detracting from the appearance of the door and presenting apossible snagging hazard to traffic passing through the door opening.There has been little effort to eliminate this problem, and theapproach, in any event, has been eliminate cable sag by increasing thecable tension, which has not been completely effective.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sidecoiling door overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of theprior art. Specifically, it is not an object to eliminate sagging in thecable, but rather to minimize whatever sag that does occur from havingany adverse consequences.

An improved side coiling door demonstrating objects and advantages ofthe present invention includes an offset or inclined angular orientationin its two points of engagement between which the cable exists in itsspanning condition across the door opening. Thus, the cable extendsabove one of the horizontally oriented tracking surfaces of the doorupper track, so that when it sags from this clearance position, it comesto rest on said surface rather than hanging below the track and into thedoor opening.

The above brief description, as well as further objeets, features andadvantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated byreference to the following detailed description of a presentlypreferred, but nonethless illustrative embodiment in accordance with thepresent invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a simplified front elevational view of a typical side coilingdoor having the improved cable-control means hereof;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, in section taken on line 2-2 of FIG.1, showing structural details of said cable-control means;

FIG. 3 is also a side elevational view as seen along line 3-3 of FIG. 1showing further structural details; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing further details of thecable-control means.

Reference is now made to the drawings in which there is illustrated atypical installation of a side coiling door, generally designated 10. Asgenerally understood, door 10, which typically has a hinged arrangementof slats 12, is operatively arranged on a vertically oriented supportdrum 14 so as to partake of opening and closing movements relative to adoor opening 16 in a building construction 18. Ina typical installation,as exemplified by the installation illustrated in FIG. I, the door ispowered through its opening and closing movements by a motor 20 whichdrives a drive shaft 22 via a pulley belt arrangement 24.

A simplified description of the door drive, which is sufiicient forpresent purposes, follows. The same contemplates that clockwise rotation26 be transmitted by motor 20 via pulley belt 24 to produce drivedirection rotation 28 in a pulley and clutch arrangement 30, the slipdirection thereof being designated 32. Thus, rotation of the arrangement30 is transmitted via the pulley belt 34 to pulley 36 and thus to acable drum 38 mounted on a common shaft with the pulley 36. Clockwiserotation of drum 38 produces wind-up of upper and lower cables 40 and42, respectively, thereon, and this in turn, results in closing movement44 of drum 10 relative to the opening 16 since the cables 40 and 42 areconnected adjacent the front edge of the door 10, as at 46 and 48.

In response to the counterclockwise rotation 50 of motor 20, driverotation 52 is produced in the pulley and clutch arrangement 54, theslip direction thereof being that designated 53. Rotation 52 istansmitted via pulley belt 56 to another pulley 58 and results in thewindup rotation of the door drum l4 simultaneously with unwinding of thecables 40 and 42 from the cable drum 38. When door 10 is in its fulyopen position, upper cable 40 naturally has a spanning position acrossthe door opening 16, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In this condition, thereis a tendency in cable 40, which if not resisted, of the cable to sagunder its own weight. Sagging could also result from excessive slack inthe length portion of the cable between its door connection 46 and itsportion wound on the drum 38. Further, if the sagging cable 40 ispermitted to project through the upper track opening of the door 10 andthus into view, it is unsightly and also represents a potential snagginghazard for equipment or the like which is transported through the dooropening 16.

It is a significant object of the present invention to provide means tominimize, and for all practical purposes to totally eliminate, thesagging of the upper cable 40 out of the upper door tracking structure.In this regard, it should be understood that such upper door trackingstructure, generally designated 60, typically includes a Ushaped orother such shaped structural member 62 mounted in spanning relation onthe building 18 across the door opening 16 thereof, as illustrated inFIG. 2. Thus, the member or housing 62 bounds a tracking channel 64 forthe door and appropriately mounted therein, as by welding or the like,is a bifurcated track construction 66, the two legs 68 and 70 of whichare in facing relation to each other. The legs have laterally orhorizontally oriented rails or tracks and, more particularly, trackingsurfaces 72 and 74 along which the door I0 tracks during its opening andclosing movements.

As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the construction of the door 10 includesa front edge panel 76 in front of the hingedly connected door slats l2.Along the top of the panel and slats is a flexible band 78 to which thesame are connected in depending relation by spaced rivets 80. Adjaentthe top edge of the band 78 are horizoni tally oriented axleconstructions 82 at spaced intervals along the top edge of the door (seeFIG. 1), only one of which is shown in FIG. 4. Joumalled for rotation atthe opposite ends of the axles 82 are a cooperating pair of rollers 84and 86 which, as shown in FIG. 2, track along the track surfaces 72 and74 while the depending band 78 extends through a track opening 88defined between the laterally oriented legs of each of the verticaltrack legs 68, 70. V

In accordance with the present invention, upper cable 40 is connected ata point above the front edge panel 76, as at 90. This connection ispreferrably achieved with a bracket 92, the bottom end 94 of which isconnected by rivets 96 to the band 78, and immediately above suchconnection there is an angularly oriented bracket media portion 98 whichhas the effect of locating the free end of bracket 92 in a clearanceposition above the track surface 92. This bracket free end ispreferrably a cylindrical body 100 which receives through a centralopening an end of cable 40 which after placement-therethrough isprevented from being pulled from the body 100 by an end clamp 102thereon.

Cooperating with the offset cable bracket 92 is a pulley 104, saidpulley being located at the end of the door opening 16. Pulley 104 isjoumalled for rotation in any appropriate manner, as by being rotatablydisposed on an axle 106 which is bolted, as at 108, in a transverse orhorizontal orientation relative to the track surfaces 72 and 74 andwhich also is in an elevated relation thereto. Specifically, a spacingcylinder 110 is disposed between the pulley 104 and the right track leg70 so that pulley 104 is located immediately above track surface 72, thesame surface that the cable-holding cylinder 100 is located above. Thus,as clearly illustrated in FIG. 4, the spanning portion of the cable 40between the connection 90 to the door and the partial cable wrap aboutthe pulley 104 is effective in locating said spanning cable lengthimmediately above the track surface 72. As a consequence, if there isany sag in the cable 40, as llustrated in phantom perspective in FIGS.

3 and 4, such sagging cable will come to rest on the track surface 72.Thus, the sagging cable does not project through the track opening 88into view or into a position along the upper edge of the door opening 16where it could possibly constitute a snagging hazard to anyone or anyequipment passing through the door opening.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scopeof the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A side coiling door including means defining a door opening, an uppertrack housing spanning said door opening adjacent the upper edge thereofbounding a tracking channel for said door, a pair of tracks havinglaterally oriented track surfaces mounted in spaced-apart facingrelation in said tracking channel with a central track opening definedbetween said track surfaces thereof, door-supporting rollers operativelyarranged to track along said tracks and having an operative connectionextending through said track opening to said door arranged in dependingrelation therefrom, a cable connected to pull said door from its openposition to a closed position in spanning relation across said dooropening, cable control means to minimize any sagging of said spanningcable through said track opening comprising spaced cable-control means,said cablecontrol means including a cable pully, having an axis ofrotation at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of saidcentral track opening located adjacent the closed end of said dooropening within said track channel and offset laterally with respect tothe longitudinal axis of said central track opening to be in a clearanceposition directly above one track surface of said pair of tracksurfaces, and a connection for securing said cable in pulling relationto said door and having its end connected to said cable, said connectionsupported at the free end on said door and extending upwardly therefromthrough said track opening and including an angularly oriented legextending from the vertical plane of said track opening over said onetrack surface, whereby any sag in said spannig cable is supported onsaid track surface rather than projecting through said track openinginto view.

1. A side coiling door including means defining a door opening, an uppertrack housing spanning said door opening adjacent the upper edge thereofbounding a tracking channel for said door, a pair of tracks havinglaterally oriented track surfaces mounted in spaced-apart facingrelation in said tracking channel with a central track opening definedbetween said track surfaces thereof, door-supporting rollers operativelyarranged to track along said tracks and having an operative connectionextending through said track opening to said door arranged in dependingrelation therefrom, a cable connected to pull said door from its openposition to a closed position in spanning relation across said dooropening, cable control means to minimize any sagging of said spanningcable through said track opening comprising spaced cable-control means,said cable-control means including a cable pully, having an axis ofrotation at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of saidcentral track opening located adjacent the closed end of said dooropening within said track channel and offset laterally with respect tothe longitudinal axis of said central track opening to be in a clearanceposition directly above one track surface of said pair of tracksurfaces, and a connection for securing said cable in pulling relationto said door and having its end connected to said cable, said connectionsupported at the free end on said door and extending upwardly therefromthrough said track opening and including an angularly oriented legextending from the vertical plane of said track opening over said onetrack surface, whereby any sag in said spannig cable is supported onsaid track surface rather than projecting through said track openinginto view.